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Timothy James Farron (born 27 May 1970) is a British politician who is the Liberal Democrat member of parliament for Westmorland and Lonsdale.

Contents 1 Early life and career 1.1 Family 2 Parliamentary career 3 External links

He was born in Preston, Lancashire and was educated at Lostock Hall School and Runshaw College in Leyland. He continued his studies at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, and gained a Bachelor of Arts degree in politics in 1992. He was elected president of the students' union in 1991, becoming its first Liberal Democrat president.

Prior to his election to Parliament he worked in higher education at both Lancaster University and St. Martin's College, Ambleside.

He lives in Milnthorpe, within the constituency he represents, with his wife Rosie and their two sons and two daughters, the youngest son being born since his election to parliament.

He contested the Durham North West constituency at the 1992 General Election. He finished in third place some 20,006 votes behind the sitting Labour MP Hilary Armstrong. He served as a councillor on the Lancashire County Council (1993-2000) and was also a councillor on South Ribble Borough Council (1995-1999). He was selected to contest the Labour/Conservative marginal constituency of South Ribble at the 1997 General Election, and again finished in third place.

At the 2001 General Election he contested the Westmorland and Lonsdale seat and finished second, reducing the majority of the sitting Conservative MP Tim Collins to 3,167. Farron was elected as a councillor to the South Lakeland District Council in 2004, and at the 2005 General Election he again fought Collins at Westmorland and Lonsdale. He won this election by just 267 votes. He made his maiden speech on May 25, 2005 [1].

He has been a member of the Education and Skills Select Committee since his election, and later in 2005 was appointed as Youth Affairs Spokesperson for the Liberal Democrats. He is the Chair of the All Party group on Hill Farming.

He has been Menzies Campbell's Parliamentary Private Secretary since Campbell's March 2006 election as leader of the Liberal Democrats.

• Tim Farron MP official site
• Tim Farron MP profile at the site of Liberal Democrats
• Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: Tim Farron MP
• TheyWorkForYou.com - Tim Farron MP
• The Public Whip - Tim Farron MP voting record

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Tim Collins	MP for Westmoreland and Lonsdale 2005 – present	Incumbent